The former Spice girl, who originally hails from Leeds, recently decided to stay put Down Under after 18 months of commuting between London, LA and Sydney.

Mel  B, 36, has gained a popular following in Australia, where she is a judge on its X Factor and will soon co-host its version of Dancing With The Stars.

She has also just signed up with local label EMI.

Melanie Brown, who is married to movie producer Stephen Belafonte, and has three daughters – Phoenix Chi Gulzar to ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, to the actor Eddie Murphy, and Madison Brown Belafonte to her current husband – said: “"I would love to become an Australian citizen."

Mel B and Belefonte have moved into a rented harbourside apartment in Sydney's posh eastern suburbs as they continue to hunt around for a place to buy.

Her eldest child, Phoenix, 13, has enrolled at a school in Sydney.

Mel added: "I've set up shop here. We are all really happy and settled."

Addressing Australians, she added: 'Hopefully they are going to want me here for a long time.'

Her love of Australia almost got her into serious trouble with immigration official last October due to a problem with her visa.

She is said to have come close to being deported back to the UK after she revealed that she had signed on as an ambassador for weight-loss company Jenny Craig in a deal reputed to be worth about £100,000.

Melanie had been sponsored by the Channel Seven TV network to come to Australia to work as a judge for the X Factor, but under the terms of her visa she was not permitted to work for other organisations without securing further sponsorships.

It was only after her management met immigration officials that her representatives were able to announce that the problem had been resolved.